How to Get Rid of Ants Eating Strawberries

Ants and aphids do serious damage to strawberry plants.

Ants in the garden provide soil aeration and feed on a variety of insect pests, but occasionally they may also cause problems for your strawberry plants. Ants sometimes visit strawberry plants to eat the sweet fruit. If you see ants on your strawberries, they are probably accompanied by aphids. Aphids feed on your plants and can spread disease. Aphids produce a sweet substance called honeydew that ants use as a food source. Several methods of ant control also work to ward off aphids.

1

Spray plants with a strong blast of water from a hose. This knocks off many ants and aphids. Repeat the spraying several times per day, if necessary.

2

Look for aphids on the leaves and stems of the plants. Aphids look like tiny green or brown insects that congregate in tightly packed groups. Discard any plant material that shows signs of aphid infestation, such as wilting, yellowing or curling. This eliminates a food source for the ants, and they may leave voluntarily.

3

Wrap a sticky material, such as double-sided tape, around the stems near the base of the strawberry plants. This prevents ants and aphids from crawling up the plants. Replace the sticky material every week or more often if it gets covered with ants and other debris.

4

Spread a layer of cedar chip mulch around the plants. Cedar chips repel some types of ants, such as the Argentine ant. Avoid using pine straw as mulch, as this gives ants a place to nest.

5

Surround your plants with a line of diatomaceous earth, chalk dust or talcum powder. Ants will not cross the line.

6

Pour boiling water or apple cider vinegar directly on the ant's nests to kill them quickly.

7

Make an herbal repellant tea. To make the tea, take 8 ounces of cuttings from a sage, peppermint, tansy or catmint plant. Boil the cuttings in 1 quart of water, then strain the mixture into a spray bottle. Mix in 1 teaspoon of liquid castile soap or coconut oil soap. Spray your plants as needed to repel the ants.

8

Keep slugs away from your plants. Ants often attack strawberry plants after slugs damage them. To keep slugs at bay, spread used coffee grounds, diatomaceous earth or human hair around the plants. Fill shallow bowls with beer and set them around the plants. Slugs crawl into the bowls and drown.

9

Avoid overwatering the plants. Strawberries need about 1 inch of water per week. Too much water will cause root rot and other problems, and ants tend to invade rotting plants. Rotting may also occur due to pH imbalance, fertilizer imbalance, fungal spores or microscopic worms called nematodes.

Things You Will Need

Hose

Double-sided tape or similar material

Cedar chip mulch

Diatomaceous earth, chalk dust or talcum powder

Apple cider vinegar

Sage, peppermint, tansy or catmint

Spray bottle

Castile soap

Coffee grounds

Bowls

Beer

Tip

Avoid using too much nitrogen fertilizer. Plants that have been fertilized heavily with nitrogen attract aphids and ants. Opt for a gentle time-released blend or an organic fertilizer, such as compost.

Warning

Do not use insecticides containing chlorpyrifos or diazinon, as these chemicals pollute creeks and rivers.

About the Author

Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.